“A bill to require the Secretary of Agriculture to establish a New World screwworm fly rearing facility, and for other purposes.”
No CRS summary available for this bill.
This section establishes a New World screwworm fly rearing facility program under which the Secretary of Agriculture must begin construction, not later than 180 days after enactment, of one or more modular facilities in eligible areas to rear sterile New World screwworm flies—a parasitic pest that infests wounds of livestock and other animals, causing significant economic losses—and disperse them to combat infestations. (Thus, the sterile insect technique reduces populations by mating sterile males with wild females, preventing reproduction.) It defines eligible areas as locations in states determined to be at risk from confirmed detections' migratory patterns and suitable for further dispersal. It requires the Secretary to submit annual reports to the House and Senate Agriculture Committees, and publish them online, analyzing the threat and describing mitigation efforts and their effectiveness. It authorizes $300 million to carry out the program, to remain available until expended.